We are in Venice, FL Yeah!!!!! Someone told me that a "Plan" was a measure of how badly you know how to plan. Given that I should stop planning!! We are about a month or so behind "The Plan." So what? Who cares?? Big deal??? Right!!!
Plan is to stay in Venice a month. Damn, I was going to stop using the "p" word. Ok, let me review the last week as the status report I promised from the last post.
Last Monday the new Sonic Outdrive arrived Bob & Annies's Boat Yard on Pine Island from England. What? Wait a minute you say...back up! Ok, this is where drawing a line in the "blog sand" and being current conflicts with the "dominos falling" from the past. To help put this story in context...two weeks ago whilst motoring into Tampa Bay we started to hear some faint grinding noise...ramping up to loud grinding and squealing noises coming from "down below." Seemed to be from our Sonic Outdrive...this is the thingy that attaches the propeller to the engine. Pictures below. Sounded like a bearing or gear self destructing. The Sonic drive is built by a company in England called Sillette. Kind of a specialty item not used in many boats hence they have no formal US dealers. Through the Victory User's Group, and new friends made on the dock, I found Bob & Annie's as the only boatyard with any experience with these drives. They said $X,000 to fix and ~2 weeks. Instead we ordered a complete new drive that shipped from England a week ago last Thursday and arrived Monday...three days...amazing!! We had the boat pulled at N.E. Taylor Boat Yard in Cortez, FL Wednesday. With the help of a new friend & Chris we had the new leg installed and the boat back in the water Thursday! Sort of like a Daytona 500 pit stop but with a lot more cursing!!
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See mast sticking out of the water! Someone having a
worst day than me!!! |
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| Boat coming out of the water. |
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Sonic Outdrive on left.
Yes, I need to either go on a diet or raise the water line!! |
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| All clean! |
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| Yard manager (Andy) out front has wireless remote for controlling the lift! |
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| Time to go to work!! |
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| New leg installed!! |
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| Before going back in they touched up our bottom...nice!!! |
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| Back in we go!!! |
From here we went down to an anchorage on the north end of Longboat Key. We were so tired...no pictures...just some much needed rest.
Next day we motored down the ICW and Sarasota Bay (because the wind was hard on our nose) to Venice. Grinding and squealing noises gone!!! We are back baby!!!
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| Sarasota, FL |
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| More Sarasota |
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| Chris's Dream vacation home! |
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| For Sale: $6,999,000...could use a loan...really a gift!! |
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| First swing bridge we've seen in a while. |
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Need to radio ahead early so the bridge operator can
walk to the center to open! |
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| At her new Venice home! |
We have since met up with Chris's Aunt Eleanor, Sarah, and Anna and had dinner with them and all the Ohio, Illinois, & Indiana residents of the Venice Municipal Mobile Home Park in a gala affair last night.
Trust all is well with you and your's! Stay warm and out of the snow...we are!!
